South Dakota ELA 2.L.4.e

ELA2nd GradeLanguage

The Standard

2.L.4: Determine the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade 2 reading and content using flexible strategies.

Use print and digital reference materials to determine or clarify the meaning of words and phrases.

South Dakota English Language Arts Standards (2025)

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students use printed and digital references to look up unfamiliar words and phrases. They check the nearby sentence to decide which meaning fits.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can find a word or phrase in a printed reference and a child-friendly online dictionary. They choose a meaning that fits the passage and explain it in their own words.
Common Misconceptions: Some students copy the first definition of a word, even when it does not fit the sentence. Others guess from a picture without checking a reference.
How to Assess It: Give students the sentence, “We sat on the bank of the river,” a print dictionary, and a child-friendly digital dictionary. Ask them to find bank in both, write the meaning that fits, and explain how river helped them choose.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a picture dictionary and a tablet dictionary; have them look up drowsy and draw someone who feels that way.
Read “Mia wore a light coat”; ask students which dictionary meaning of light fits and what clue helped them choose.
Hand out cards with bat, light, and jam in short sentences; teams match each card to the right printed dictionary definition.
Show a zoo sign that says nocturnal; students use a child-friendly online dictionary to explain when the animals are awake.

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